Page 315 - Auction Team Breker | Auction 24+25 May 2018

Rare "Loïe Fuller Électrique" Musical Automaton by Gaston Decamps, c. 1914
With plaster-composition head depicting a young wom- an with classical profile, lifelike blue glass eyes with lashes, wavy brown hair wig, papier-mâché torso with modeled breasts and musculature, articulated waist and eight colored light bulbs beneath wire-framed skirt, dressed in translucent silk, embroidered velvet bodice with floral beadwork, crêpe sleeves and headdress with pendant gilt medallions, on wood base containing 110- volt electric motor, original electromechanical relays and four-air cartel cylinder musical movement, ht. of figure 28 in. (71 cm), 40 1⁄2 in. (102 cm) overall. – Loïe rotates en pointe, swaying gracefully, balancing with her right leg and turning her head as her skirt is illumi- nated by a kaleidoscopic sequence of colors. – Good working condition, mechanical and electrical functions overhauled, re-wired, sympathetic restoration on fore- head and one cheek. Please note: due to its age and flammable materials (papier-mâché and fabric), this piece should be operated for short periods and always under supervision. – Historical background: A grace- ful, sculptural automaton in the same size and spirit as Gaston Decamps' "Charmeuse de Serpent" (Snake
Charmer) and "
Danseuse Cambodgienne".
The young
Decamps, a gifted sculptor who had studied at École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, drew his inspiration wide- ly from the visual and performing arts to create kinetic portraits of named dancers of his day. – Marie Louise Fuller (1862–1928) was a pioneer of modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques – the "Electric Salome" of the Art Nouveau. An early career as an actress and singer on the American stage led to the unveiling of her Serpentine Dance to European audiences at the Folies- Bergères in Paris on 5. November 1892. Fuller ap- peared in an iridescent silk costume which changed color and form as she moved. Experimenting with lumi- nescent salts, lighting techniques and colored gel pro- jection discs, her performances were feats of science as well as of dance. – We know of four examples of this model, and of these just two retain their electrical func- tions and illumination. – Literature: Rhonda K. Garel-
ick, "Loie Fuller's Performance of Modernism"
. For an https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dda-BXNvVkQ. – A
early film of Fuller by Segundo de Chomón:
rare and beautiful automaton embodying Gaston De- camps' ethos that "l'automate doit être une sculpture
animée".
– (3/2-) – € 4.000/6.000 – (850/7) Watch & Listen on:
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